Pipe hanger system



May 8, 1945.

,W. F. BACH PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Filed Sept. 30, 1943 '7 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. wl L LIAM r. BACH. BY

May 8, 1945. I F E 2,375,513

PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Fiied Sept. .30, 4194s 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I 13 I P I l 0 J A II III m K 14 INVENTOR. WILLIAM F. BACH.

May 8; 1945. w. F. BACH PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Filed Sept. 30, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 IINVENTOR. WILLIAM F'. BACH.

y w. F. BACH 2,375,513

. PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Filed Sept. 50, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. A 7 WILLIAM E BACH May 8, 1945.

'w. E. BACH PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Filed Sept. so, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. WILLIAM F. BACH y 8, 5- w. F. EACH 2,375,513 PIPE HANGER SYSTEM Filed se p so, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet e 4 unuuununnuu W.-F. BACH PIPE HANGER SYSTEM May 8, 1945.

' Filed Sept. so. 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Fi l INVENTOR. LLIAM REACH.

s PATENT OFFICE umrao; STATE Pma'nANGEa SYSTEM, William F. Bach, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Application September so, 1943, Serial No. 504,354

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to a pipe hanger system comprising a smallnumber of-simple elements of universal adaptability and associa'bility' in a variety of ways, .by means of which a large Further objects of the present invention will appear from the following description with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

The above mentioned elements from which the pipe support may be assembled comprise a hanger I proper having two arms with flanged ends for receiving a locking bolt and a top portion of novel design which makes it capable of engagement with a hanger housing in any desired position and of easy sliding movement thereon. The hanger housing, which is the second of the above mentioned elements, is channel-shaped; it is proof which the casing is fastened to the supporting structure of the pipe hanger. A third, element to be used in the combination is a c shaped clamp such as is commonly used with I-beams;

number of different constructions for the susth clampis threaded at both clamping ends and pension of a single p pe line or a system or 8318- fitted with. a set screw that clamps it to the tems of pipe lines of the same or diflerent sizes flange of the beam or angle iron. .may be ea ily assembled, rearranged and The above mentioned elements will be more mantled as the case may requ re. fully described hereinafter with reference to the The p p hanger mechanism according to my accompanying drawings and the various applive may be used f attaching conduits. cations thereof will be illustrated in a number of wa a or other p p lines, or a plur yo examples. It should, however, be understood that such lines, in va ious hori o al positions to the means and combinations thereof disclosed in overhead supp t o l building beams in, the specification and drawings are but a fewaof upr ht p siti n to a vertical wall; t is a apted the embodiments in whichithe principles of the for use with any one of the conventional buildti n may be applied and that it is not ing materials, such as steel structural work, brick, tended to limit the claims to h vexact concrete, wood, or plastics. structionshown and described. 'The main object of my invention is to provide In Said annexed drawings: g a pipe hanger assembly comprising a few inexr Fig. 1 is an illustration of the pipe hanger with pensive parts, the combination of'which will ,al- [top portion of novel design; low the adaptation of h device to mode Fig. 2 shows the hanger in side elevation with attao e o pi 918 may be required i the a portionof a pipe supported therein; buildin art.' One bjeotor th invention is to. make the eleg gi gf 9 t a {nents easyto secure in position and to be Fig. 4 shows the hanger in engagement with the ustable without detaching the same. housing. V

Another object 'is the manufacture of the Fig 5shows'm Sectionahousing a hanger hanger elements from a single piece of unbreakpended thereon and a portmn 1 a pipe fitted able material.b t th 1 ti 0d therein, A'furthero ice of e nven on is opr uce i a hanger arrangement that will permit spacing g q P taken along of of the pipesor pipes supported thereby at any 2 desired distance from the overhead supporting 7 Illustrates the hanger amxed to an overhead structure by fbolt connection and a sup- .structure, orvertically as desired. orted in ectiom Yet another object of the invention is to pro- P F1 iew th b0 T 1 vide' a rail of particular profile associated with g'g d e 1 other of the hanger elements in which certain s a De 9 We K w ver mp6s ;of the hanger elements maybe readily shifted t 3 f to and held in any desired position at the time f a y i elevatmn, partly the piping is being installed; I section of a hanger with pipe supported therein,

Another object of my invention is to provide attachfed an angle mm by means of a 0- an arrangement for suspending a plurality of f hangers at difierent levels and angles with reclamp alone In elevaffloni spect to the supporting structure. 6 bfli lfl s a sectlon of the clamp along l1ne A--A Fig. 13 is a view partly in elevation, partly in section, ofa hanger with pipe attached toan I-beam by means of a c-clamp;

Fig. 14 shows a clamp and a hanger-rod screwed thereto and fastened to an angle-iron;

Figs. 15 and 16 show a retaining clip as used in several applications, in plan and elevation respectively. 1

Fig. 17 is a perspective view, with parts of the housing broken away, showing said housing and three hangers attached thereto;

Fig. 18 is another application of one housing and three pipe hangers at different levels and angles with respect to the' housing;

Fig. 19 shows a housing carrying three pipe hangers and being clamped to an I-beam by means of two C-clainps;

Fig. 20 is another application of a housing with three hangers, in which the hangers are suspended on rods at different angles, the housing being clamped to an angle-iron; and

Figs. 21 to 24 show some more combinations for the arrangement of a plurality of pipes of different, sizes, disposed, at different levels and angles with respect to the supporting structure.

The elements for building up the various structural embodiments of the present invention are shown in Figs. 1 to 6, 11 and 12. The pipe hanger proper, generally indicated by'5, comprises a top portion 6 which has a web I with a central opening 9 and rectangularly bent side portions 8. The latter have four slots l formed therein which serve for-engagement with the housing I2. The hanger has two-curved arms l3 for gripping a pipe P. The lower ends ofsaid arms [3 terminate in flanges H which receive .a threaded bolt ii that serves for drawing the end portions together when a pipe is in position, in which it may be locked by nut l1.

tive to the circumference of the pipe to be suspended are such that the pipe is forced into contact with the housing i2 when the bolt and nut l--ll aretightened.

The housing l2 has a web portion 18, depend- It will be readilyunderstood that a similar construction could be used -for layinga plurality of pipes parallel to each other in a horizontal plane. i

In the attachments shown in Figs. '7 to 9 the pipe lines are suspended or supported in close proximity of the building structure. This is convenient for purposes of electrical installations.

In other cases, such as the installation of steam pipes, it is common usage to dispose the pipes at a certain distance of the supporting structure to allow for expansion by heat or for the purpose my invention, 1

The dimensions of the curved arms I3 and the shape thereof rela ing side portions I9 and inwardly bent flanges 20, which serve for engagement with slots iii of the hanger. The dimensions of the slots 1 0 rel- .ative to the dimensions of the. flanges 20, are such that the hanger proper can be slid readily along. the flanges and to permit the pipe clamping action above referred to. The web 18 has, in the example shown in the drawings, three anchor slots; when onebeam clamp or ceiling anchor 'is used it is fastened through the center slot 2!, when two clamps or coiling anchors are e used they are fastened through slots 22. At the 7 ends the housing is equipped with'cotter pins 23,

which are used for looking a plurality of pipes in thelhousing and will prevent their sliding out of the'h'ousing at a time when they are moved,

for instance, for rearrangement. I r The four slots ID are made-loosely to fit'the flanges 20 so that the hanger may easily be moved to any desired point in the housing. Locking and unlocking of a pipe in the hanger is easily accomplished by tightening or loosening bolt l5. As best shown in Fig. 6, upon tightening of bolt l5 .The C-clamp shown in 11 and 12 has the two clamping arms with enlarged ends 24 bored at 26, each bore being internally threaded.-

One of these threaded bores receives a bolt 21 which serves for clamping ahanger to an'I-beam or similar element of construction. The other threaded bore serves for receiving an element which is to be brought into clamping engagement with said structural element. shown in Fig. 13 that. the lower bore 26 receives a bolt 28 for connecting a hanger to said clamp and in Fig. 14 it is illustrated as receiving a hanger rod 29.

pipe P is pressed against the flanges 20 and is j immobilized thereby, independently of whether ,the housing be disposed in horizontal or vertical position.

pipe to a concrete ceiling C. Inthis case the housing l2 may be omittedand a single bolt b may be used for fastening the hanger by being passed through hole a; This attachment is not only very'simple, it also makes it possible to run Fig. 9 shows the attachment oftwo pipes in a vertical plane by means of a housing. The numberof pipes could be varied as desired. The

advantage of this construction is easy rearrangement within the vertical plane in case another I spacing of the pipes should become desirable.

In some cases where there is intense vibration it is desirable to use a retaining clip 30 as shown in Figs. 15' and 16 for securely fastening to a beam I or angle irona. One end of clip 30 is cut out at 33 to form two prongs 34, which are slipped past the thickened end 24. of the clamp and bent down as shown in Figs. 13 and fastened to an angle iron a by means of a clamp without interposed retaining clip, the position of the hanger and angle being inverted as compared to Fig. 14.

As mentioned before the pipe hanger according to my invention is very well adapted for attaching multiple lines of pipe tohorizontal or vertical supporting-structures. Figs. 17 to 20 inclusive, illustrate examples in which three pipe lines may be fastened by different ways of attachment to concrete ceiling or to" horizontal beams.

In Fig. 17 the housing I2 may be attached to an overhead support by bolt b. The housing carries three hangers in engagement with flanges 20. For inserting pipes, bolts l5 are unscrewed and as soon as the pipes are in proper position' the bolts are tightened for locking.

Due to the strength of the housing, which is made of heavy gauge steel, it is possible to make many installations while using a single anchor bolt as shown inFig. 17. In this case the housing can be adjusted on the ceiling so that the pipes can be run-in any desired direction.

If it is desired to hang the pipes at differentlevels an arrangement as shown in Fig. 18 may be applied. In this case nuts, 36 are provided of a size that will allowthem to remain in sliding engagement with flanges 20 of the housing l2. The nuts are connected with the hangers by means 01' rods 38 and which may be of Thus it is shown at 42.

- various desired lengths. When the hangers are thus suspended by nuts and rods the pipes may I be run in any direction, regardless of the fact whether one anchor bolt or' two anchor bolts are used for attaching the housing to the building structure. The rod-,and-nut suspension of the hangers may be combined with the direct channel engagement of some of .the hangers, as

likewise shown in Fig. 18 of the right-hand side of the flgure.

Figs. 19 and 20 show how multiple lines of pipe may be attached to an I-beam. This is a further development of the arrangement shown in nuts 36 by means of rods 38 of various lengths,

which arrangement allows the running of pipes in different directions and at any desired level.

Fig. 21 shows another embodiment of the invention in which one set of hangers is arranged on top of a housing I2 and another set of han ers at the bottom thereof. In this case the attachment of the top row of hangers is accomplished by tapping the web l8 of the housin and screwing the hangers thereto as at 40. Hangers of different sizes may be used if desired. At the bottom of housing I! the flanges may be used for suspending thereon hangers 5, by means of the interengaging slots it), as shown at II, or by rod-and-nut connection, as

Two rods 43 are, moreover, provided for suspending the housing at any desired level.

A similar arrangement of different sets of pipe hangers is illustrated in Fig. 22, the difference being that two housings are used in end to end position for the attachment of all the pipe hangers.

The unusual flexibility of arrangement for a plurality'of pipe lines of which the construction is capable is exemplified by Figs. 23 and 24.

Fig. 23 shows an arrangement of three housings, one of which, lZa, is disposed horizontally.

While the other two, lZb, are disposed at right anglesthereto. This arrangement of housings is effected by means of angles 45 to which the housings are secured by bolts at 46. The vertical- 1y disposed housings 12b each carry a plurality of hangers 5 for the support of sets of parallel pipe lines. to support a set of pipe hangers at the under side and a single hanger of larger size on top.

Evidently this arrangement is capable of a number of further variations which will be understood by any person skilled in the art without further explanation.

' the upper housing by means of two O-clamps.

The lower housing is riveted to the upper one and carries on its under side a desired number of hangers which will support pipes running in a direction at right angles to the direction of the upper pipe P.

The horizontal housing'l2a is shown 'Figs. 10, 13 and 14. When it is desired to at- In this case, too, many other variations will readily present themselves to anyone skilled in the art, particularly in combination with the examples described and shown in several of the otherflgures.

To contractors, plumbers, steam fitters, industrial electricians and millwrights itwillbe apparent that I have discloseda pipe hanging system comprising a few elements of simple, sturdy construction and the use of which will eliminate a great deal of labor in drilling, sawin and flt- .ting ofhanger straps and similar manual iron working while on the installation job. The parts are interchangeable and adaptable to ready securement to a variety of mill building constructions and inspection and repair or replacement of any one of a number of pipe lines arranged in clusters can be accomplished in an expeditious manner.

To those skilled in the art it will be apparent that other combinations and assemblies of the interfltting and interchanging of parts in accordance with the dictates of the requirements of the particular installation can be effected readily. In some instances cluster assembl es, such as indicated in Figs. 18, 20, 22, 23 and 24 can be brought together in a loose fashion with the various slidable elements retained in place by the cottcrpins and at the shop before shipment to the place of installation. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the degree of the clamping action of the hanger member, proper upon a steam line or line subject to longitudinal expansion and contraction under varying thermal conditions will lie within the judgment of the me chanic making the installation.

Other modes'of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the structure herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention: r

1. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a pipe hanger, a channel-shaped housing for receiving said pipe hanger and fastening it,

to a building structure, said housing having a web and longitudinal flanges parallel to said web, said pipe hanger'having' two curved pipe engaging arms, flanged ends on said arms, a bolt for tightening said flanges over a pipein position and a channel-shaped head integrally formed with said arms, said head having slideways for receiving the flanges of said housing for a guided slidin movement.

2. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a pipe hanger, a housing for receiving said pipe hanger and fastening it to a building structure, said housing having a web with a plurality of slots for attachment to said buildin structure and longitudinal flanges parallel to said web, said pipe hanger having two curved pipe engaging arms, flanged ends on said arms, a bolt for tightening said flanges over a pipe in position, and a head integrally formed with said arms, said head having slideways for receiving the flanges of said housing for a guided sliding movement.

3. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a pipe. hanger, a housing attachable to a building structure for receiving said pipe hanger, said housing having a web with a plurality of slots for attachment to a building structure and longitudinal flanges parallel to said web, said pipe hanger having two curved pipe engaging arms, flanged ends on said arms, a bolt for tightening said flanges over a pipe in position, and a head integrally formed with said arms, said head having a bore for receiving one end of a hanger rod, means for holding said hanger rod in engagement with said head, a nut in slidable engagement with said flanges on said housing, said nut having a threaded bore for engagement with the other end of said hanger rod whereby the hanger may be disposed at any desired angle with respect to the housing and at any desired distance from the housing,

. 4. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a plurality of channel shaped housings in back-to-back position, said housings being adapted to receive a plurality ofpipe'hangers in sliding engagement, each of said pipe hangers having two pipe engaging arms, means for tightening said arms over a pipe in position and means for mounting said hangers in sliding engagement with said housing.

5. In a device tor supporting pipes in combination "a pipe hanger, a channel-shaped housing for receiving said pipe hanger and supporting it in,a building structure, said pipe hanger having two pipeengaging arms, means for tightening said arms over a pipe in position,- a head integrally formed with said arms having slideways for sliding engagement with the flanges of said channel housing, a like channel housing'pivotally connected in back-to-back relation to the first named housing and means 'aifording adjustable attachment of the second channel housing to a building structure.

6. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a plurality of pipe hangers, a channel-shaped.

housing for receiving said pipe hangers and supporting them on a building structure, said pipe hangers having two pipe engaging arms, means I for tightening said arms over a pipe in position,

and a head integrally formed with said arms, said head having slideways for sliding engagement with the flanges of said channel housing, a like channel housing connected in back-to-back relation to the first named housing, means for fastening the two channel housings together so as to include-any desired angle between them, a pluralityof hangers in said second channel housing and means for attaching said second channel housing to a building structure.

"I. In a device for supporting pipes in combination, pipe hanger means, a pair of channel-shaped stamped members having inturned flanges spaced apart to provide slots, said channel members being arranged in back-to-back relation with the slots exposed, pivotal means securing said membars in said back-to-back relation whereby one channel member may be swung to an angle relative to the other member while being supported by said member, means disposed within the slots of one channel member and adapted to be attached to a building structure, said pipe hanger meanshaving a slideway head integrally formed thereon for engagementwith the slots of said other channelmember.

8. In'a device for supporting pipes in combination a pipe hanger, a channel shaped'housing for receiving said pipe hanger ,whereby the hanger can be suspended on a building structure, said pipe hanger having two curvedpipe engaging arms, flanged ends on said arms, means for tightening said flanges over a pipe in position and the hanger having ahead integrally formed.

pipe engaging arms and an integral arm connecting head portion, and means for tightening said arms over a pipe in position and said head having slideways notched in the sides of the band metal above the curved pipe engaging arms for sliding and tightening engagement with' an element capable of attaching the pipe hanger to building structure.

10. In a device for supporting pipes in combination a channel-shaped housing, said housing having opposed flanges spaced to receive unitary pipe hangers, a plurality of pipe hangers in sliding engagement with the flanges, .each 01 said pipe hangers having two curved pipe engaging ,arms, flanged ends on said arms, meansfor tightening said flanges over a pipe in position and a head integrally formed with said arms, said head having slideways for receiving the flanges of said housing for a guided sliding movement and serving to react upon the said flanges when said tightening means tightens the hanger arms about a pipe. WILLIAM F. BACH. 

